Strategic Approach to Enhancing Your Learning

Joanna Latala
Feb 29, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Jan 27

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

by Benjamin Franklin

* Discovery your strategies

Are you receiving instruction tailored to your learning style? Perhaps you find yourself under the guidance of experts in their respective fields. You might even be enrolled in a prestigious program dedicated to the performing arts. However, despite these advantages, there's a chance you're not fully capitalizing on your learning opportunities. Just being part of a top-tier educational environment doesn't automatically translate to maximizing your educational gains.

To truly make the most of each learning opportunity, it is essential to delve into your personal learning process. Understanding precisely how you absorb information, process new concepts, and retain knowledge is key. Once you have a grasp of your unique learning style, you are empowered to:

1) select instructional methods that resonate with your preferences,

2) help your educators understand how to bring out your best work, and

3) optimize the use of instructional resources, including your own.

You don’t understand anything until you learn it more than one way.”

by Marvin Minsky

Exploring the Five Modes of Learning

Imagine yourself in a master class, presenting your skills before a respected instructor. As the final notes of music fade into silence, the time comes for feedback. You eagerly anticipate insights into your performance—what went well, where improvement is needed, and how to refine your craft further.

Pause for a moment to consider how you'd prefer to receive this feedback if given the choice. Would you appreciate your instructor physically demonstrating techniques for improvement? Perhaps you'd benefit from being guided through precise motions. Or maybe you simply prefer straightforward insights into what needs correction, allowing you to work on it at your own pace.

In reality, there exist five primary avenues through which we absorb information. We learn visually, observing demonstrations by others—this is visual learning. We also learn through auditory means, by listening to performances or explanations—this is auditory learning. Kinesthetic learning involves physical engagement, feeling the actions in our muscles. Cognitive learning occurs through detailed explanations and verbal guidance. Lastly, trial-and-experience learning is the process of refining skills through repeated attempts until mastery is achieved.

While we all employ a blend of these methods, each person tends to have one or two dominant modes that prove most effective. This is particularly true when grappling with new concepts or refining techniques.

The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.

by B.B. King

Prioritizing Your Learning Preferences

Now, return to the scenario of that master class. If you could tailor the feedback to your liking, what would you share with your instructor? I learn best when I...

(a) witness correct demonstrations (visual)

(b) hear accurate performances (auditory)

(d) receive detailed explanations (cognitive)

(e) experiment and learn through trial and experience (trial and experience)

Identify your top two preferred modes, as they represent your dominant learning styles:

(1)

(2)

When embarking on the journey of acquiring new skills, refining techniques, or delving into unfamiliar music, prioritize these dominant modes. They prove invaluable, especially in time-sensitive learning situations.

Now, reflect on your 3rd, 4th, and 5th preferences—the modes of learning that haven't quite resonated with you:

(3)

(4)

(5)

Benjamin Barber, an eminent sociologist, once said, “I don’t divide the world into the weak and the strong, or the successes and the failures... I divide the world into the learners and nonlearners.”

"Mindset" by Carol Dweck

You might question the relevance of these less favored modes. Surprisingly, they can unveil new paths for honing previously acquired techniques. When revisiting older material, employing these less dominant modes can unlock hidden potentials.

Indeed, incorporating all five learning modes into your study routine—whether with fresh material or revisiting older concepts—ensures a comprehensive grasp of the subject matter. This approach ensures that you've thoroughly internalized the knowledge. If one sensory pathway "forgets," another stands ready to compensate.

*The above text is written based on: 11 strategies for Audition and Performance success. A workbook for the musician by Don Greene Ph.D. 2002

See the original text HERE